1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is broadly concerned with tractor mounted implements and a mounting assembly for such implements permitting quick, alternate attachment of different types of implements to a given tractor. More particularly, it is concerned with an overall implement mounting system which makes use of elongated, laterally spaced apart, fore and aft extending, tractor mounted rails along with a plurality of implements each including a pair of elongated connection arms for releasable securement to the corresponding rails, in order to provide a quick attach and detach mounting structure for different implements.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As those involved in the agricultural industry are aware, there is often a need for using various types of material handling implements such as hay forks, front end loaders, or dozer blades in work around a farm. However, these different types of implements are usually not needed often enough to justify the expense of purchasing an individual machine specifically designed to perform each function. For example, it might be desirable for a farmer to have at his disposal a front end loader to perform various types of jobs, but the need is not great enough to justify purchase of a dedicated front end loader. Further, most farmers have already made a large investment in tractors for their farming operations.
Rather than purchase individual machines to perform needed different functions, and because of the great investment already made in tractors, it is generally desirable to provide different types of readily attachable implements which can be easily mounted to a tractor as the need arises. From a cost standpoint, it is more desirable to purchase a front end loader implement which can be mounted to a tractor when desired, with the loader being detachable when use thereof is not desired. That is, with the implement detached, the tractor is field ready to perform other farming operations.
Different types of implements and mounting assemblies have been devised in the past which have recognized the need for detachable tractor-mounted implements, but these have not met the need for a truly universal system permitting ready changeovers between different types of implements. That is to say, the structural and load characteristics of a dozer blade are greatly different than those of a front end loader for example, and accordingly a mounting assembly adequate for the dozer may be totally inappropriate for the loader. Accordingly, there is a real and unsatisfied need in the art for a universal mounting assembly adapted for installation on a tractor, along with plural mated implements designed for alternative, easy securement to the mounting assembly. Obviously, to be successful such a system must reconcile the seemingly incompatible design and load characteristics of the different implements without undue cost or complexity in the mounting structure.